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Bring Back my Bonnie to Me

I’ve been wondering in the last few days about the media campaigns that are in response to the kidnapped girls in Nigeria. My twitter and Facebook feeds are full of #bringourgirlsback and then this morning I saw this:

When I asked my friends on twitter about what this campaign was about and what difference we thought it would make I got this in response. People aren’t wrong, social media is powerful, look at Egypt. However, what is a hashtag going to do? Raise awareness, great, okay. I am struggling because unlike what happened in Egypt the bring back our girls or read men don’t buy girls campaigns don’t give us updated information from the people being affected.

Yes, we all want these girls back, yes, they are “our” girls. We are all children of God, these are my sisters, children, future mothers and women of the world. But I have a hard time with politicians proclaim “we will bring them back”, I am wrong often, but I just cannot imagine that is true. These young women were kidnapped and sold they are not being held in a container somewhere, they were sold for about $12 a piece. They were sold as slaves and I cannot imagine the horror of abuse and sexual assault they have endured in the last few weeks. They were forced into a jungle and crossed boarders and have been split up. It’s just simply going to take a freaking miracle.

Yet, I admit, as much as I may get frustrated with these campaigns I also respect them. It does raise awareness. And maybe, maybe we can have some conversations not just about human kidnapping and trafficking in Nigeria, but all over the world, in the US, in Baltimore.

Because the signs these men are holding shouldn’t just say “real men don’t buy girls” they should also say, “real men don’t steal, buy, or sell girls, boys, or adults.” Real men (or women) don’t sexually or physically assault people, real men don’t demean or put down or consider members of the other sex weak and overpower them in any way.

We need to have these conversations. SO I will join the #bringbackourgirls campaign, and I will repost this photo, because this stuff matters and if a twitter campaign or a Facebook photo saves one life, saves one man, woman, or child from being rapped or abused or kidnapped, than it’s worth it. It’s literally the least I can do.